More Provincial Parks
The Southeast - Ontario
General information about provincial parks in Ontario
The provincial parks managed by Ontario Parks attract over 11 million visitors annually, making them the largest provider of outdoor recreational activities in the province. Most PPs charge an admission fee. There are day passes, seasonal passes, and an annual pass. These passes are usually worthwhile if you visit three or more parks. In addition, some very popular parks require an additional day permit. These can be obtained online up to 5 days before your planned visit. Everything you need to know about the parks, admission passes, and permits can be found on the Ontario Parks website.
French River PP
Description: The French River is a river in central Ontario. It flows 110 km from Lake Nipissing southwest to Georgian Bay. Together with the Ottawa and Mattawa Rivers, the French River formed part of the waterway from Montreal to Lake Superior during the fur trading days. It remained an important canoe route until around 1820.
Entrance fees and opening hours
- free - CAD 2 for the museum in the Visitor Center
- Covered by the Provincial Park Day-Use Vehicle Pass*
- Open year-round, visitor center, campgrounds, and other public facilities are open from early May to October 18.
*The Day-Use Vehicle Pass is a “flat-rate” pass for all provincial parks in Ontario. You can choose from an Annual Pass (full calendar year – CAD 99), a Summer Pass (April 1 to November 30 – CAD 75), and a Winter Pass (December 1 to March 31 – CAD 60).
Recollet Falls Trail: This hiking trail begins at the Visitor Center, runs along the edge of the French River Gorge, and ends at historic Recollet Falls. The short land route around the falls has been used for generations by First Nations peoples, famous explorers, hardy voyageurs, fur traders, and missionaries.
Trail length: 3km roundtrip
Altitude difference: 62m
Time needed: 1h
Difficulty level: easy
Our rating: The French River Provincial Park is particularly worth visiting for those interested in the waterways during the fur trading era. We found the exhibition in the Visitor Center particularly interesting and worth seeing. The hiking trail to the waterfall was quite nice, but certainly not a must-see.
Arrowhead PP
Description: This 1,237-hectare park was established in 1971 in the heart of Muskoka. The provincial park is open year-round and is located just 10 km north of Huntsville. It attracts many visitors, not only in autumn when the forests change color spectacularly. With 16 skating rinks and 28 km of classic cross-country trails, this park is also considered one of the most popular winter sports areas in Ontario. The famous Arrowhead skating rink is the longest artificial outdoor skating rink in Ontario and attracts thousands of visitors every winter.
Entrance fees and opening hours
- 21CAD/car/day
- Covered by the Provincial Park Day-Use Vehicle Pass*
- Open year-round
*The Day-Use Vehicle Pass is a “flat-rate” pass for all provincial parks in Ontario. You can choose from an Annual Pass (full calendar year – CAD 99), a Summer Pass (April 1 to November 30 – CAD 75), and a Winter Pass (December 1 to March 31 – CAD 60).
Our rating: Although the peak of the fall colors was at least a week before our visit, we really enjoyed this small provincial park. It wasn't as crowded as neighboring Algonquin Provincial Park, and we were able to enjoy nature in peace and quiet. It was simply fun to be in this beautiful place.
